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Earlier on Monday, Rooney posted on Twitter ahead of his return to the international fold.

He wrote: "Looking forward to meeting up with the @England squad later today, always a huge honour. An exciting week for @FoundationWR!"

The England striker celebrates a goal in training (Image: Eddie Keogh for The FA/REX/Shutterstock)

Rooney's return has come in for criticism from some quarters, but England boss Gareth Southgate has defended the appearance.

In a press conference last week, he said: “There have been ongoing discussions since Wayne retired about paying tribute to him and his England career which is phenomenal in terms of the matches he played and being our record goal scorer.

Rooney on the training pitch (Image: Eddie Keogh for The FA/REX/Shutterstock)

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“I was actually quite happy for the tribute to be before the World Cup but Wayne didn’t want to detract from the team at that time.

“Now we have the opportunity with the game at Wembley to pay tribute.

“As the manager, my involvement was around whether I was happy for Wayne to play a part in the game.

The former Manchester United man battles with Fabian Delph (Image: Eddie Keogh for The FA/REX/Shutterstock)

“I am still able to look to the future in terms of the squad we have picked. But also I have talked a lot to the players about the importance of the shirt, the history of the shirt, honouring the former players, and I think all the players would respect that Wayne’s contribution deserves the best possible send-off.

“I understand that has caused debate but for me it is a small way of appreciating what he has given to his country."